Between the Lines
by YourDemonicAssassin
Summary: A story going through the episodes, starting after 'Aftershock'. Following Beastboy and Raven in a newly developing relationship. I am trying to stay as true to the episodes as I can but we will see how it goes. I will be making minor modifications to some episodes. Lemme know what you think, please read and review.
1. Deception - Part 1

I don't own Teen Titans.

This is a story starting after 'AfterShock'. This story will be following the show, making slight changes to the episodes and developing a relationship with BeastBoy and Raven. Hopefully, you like it. Please enjoy.

It all started after Terra. Before then I had tried to stay away from him, mostly. He was nothing more than a fellow team member and a constant annoyance. He was the one who would bang on my door when I was trying to read to invite me to play games or hang out. He would tell lame jokes and didn't seem to know when to stop talking. Sometimes I found it flattering, that he tried so hard to include me but mostly it just annoyed me.

When Terra left though... it was hard on him. And after the battle with slade... well he seemed like he changed for a while. He tried to act like it was all okay and push through it but his smiles never met his eyes and he didn't come knocking as much anymore. Maybe before I would have welcomed the silence, and I would have counted this a blessing. But I couldn't bring myself to be happy about losing a titan, even an ex-titan. I may have not liked her, but my friends thought of her as a friend and he thought of her as something more, that much was clear. I hated the hurt that losing her caused them and I hated that in our line of work, we didn't have the luxury to grieve her.

We had to jump right back into the fight, and it was time to go after The Hive. We all stood in front of the monitor while Robin explained that we couldn't just blast our way in.

"We need to know what they are planning first, otherwise we could walk right into a trap." He said.

I watched BeastBoys ears perk up and an almost evil smile spread across his face. "Do I hear an under-cover assignment coming on? Lucky for you guys, I happen to be a master of disguise." And the green man disappeared and in his place was a small green monkey, then a kangaroo and finally a mongoose. I was seeing a bit of the playful BeastBoy I had come to miss.

"Yeah, a green mongoose is gonna blend riiigggght in." I internally scolded myself for the sarcastic remark, but Robin breezed right past it.

"Sorry BeastBoy, I was thinking of someone with a slightly better disguise"

"What are you gonna do, dress Cyborg up like a washing machine?" He said, tapping his robotic best friend. Right before he toppled over. Beastboy let out a scream and shifted into a lizard, clinging to the ceiling, eyes bugged out. I smiled to myself, before quickly composing myself.

"That isn't me. That is my fully robotic replacement. Not nearly as charming but he can bench press a bus."

We gathered around the Cyborg replica all taking it in before Starfire knocked on its head and it flew off, bouncing from the body on a metal spring.

"Booyah!" It screamed out.

"He still has a few bugs to work out," Cy said sheepishly.

Cyborg went on to explain how he would go undercover using his newly made 'holo-ring' would disguise him as 'Victor Stone'. We watched as he showed us his transformation and before us stood Cyborg, without well... the robot. Things wrapped up pretty quickly after that, Robin stating that he needs to go over his mission with him and come up with a game plan, but I could feel a twinge of jealousy coming from the green titan who was now sitting and playing some racing game. Hesitantly I drifted over to the sofa, grabbing my book and throwing my hood up to hide my discomfort. Truth be told I felt more exposed out here. I knew these were my friends and I could trust them but they didn't understand who I was, what I am. I always held the fear that I wouldn't be able to control my emotions and I'd hurt one of them in the process. So for the most part, I tried to stay away from the other titans during our downtime, electing to hide away in the safety of my room meditating.

I stole glances at BeastBoy who was so engrossed in the game he hadn't realized I was there yet. If he had he would have made some annoying comment by now. The race ended and he raised his fist in the air and let out a happy cry of celebration. Before he noticed I was sitting by him and threw a gloved hand over his mouth. I knew he couldn't see my face so I didn't bother to cover the smile this time.

"I'm sorry Rae, I didn't think... Hey, why are you out here? Not that you can't be, cause like it's totally awesome that you are but you also like never are." His eyes were wide and I could feel his emotions swirling from confusion to happiness and something else that was so faint I couldn't quite place.

I didn't trust myself to keep my normal monotone so I lifted the book and lowered my hood, my face even and my eyebrow raised at him.

"Oh yeah. Duh. He-he." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "But since you're out here do you wanna hang out? I mean it doesn't have to be games or anything stupid like that, I know you don't like them but maybe something else? We could go get pizza or something or if there is something you want to do." I could sense he didn't really wanna be alone. I knew this though, which is why I had made the choice to join him out here. I didn't want him to know that I was doing this for him though. I knew he didn't want pity and he honestly didn't even want to admit there was something for him to be sad about, lest he let himself feel it and not be able to handle the stress of this job.

I let out a sigh, closing my book and rising up turning toward the door. I could feel his disappointment as he watched me go. I made it almost all the way to the door before turning.

"Well?" I asked him, making my voice sound bored.

"Huh?" His green eyes met mine and I saw a small flash of hope in them.

"Are we going for pizza or not? I'm starving." And before I could say anything else I was being dragged out of the room and out of the tower.


	2. Deception - Part 2

**Just FYI, I wrote a decent amount of this on my tablet so please forgive me if there are minor spelling mishaps, it kept trying to correct things I really was trying to say. Like it hates when I type BeastBoy and it also does not like when I start new talking dialog. Ahh, the fun. Whatever here we go.**

**I do not own Teen Titans. **

_BeastBoy_

I didn't let go of her hand until we stood out front of the large tower, scared she'd change her mind and go away. She gave me a look but didn't say anything as I pulled her along with me and when I released her hand she just turned and pulled her hood up over her face. Before I could shift she summoned a black disk in front of me. Shooting a nervous look her way, I stepped on, almost losing my balance as I felt myself ride up.

"Woah. Um ... thanks, Rae." I said nervously, bracing myself like a surfer in the hopes of keeping my balance.

"Raven. Maybe try sitting?" With her face still shrouded I could only imagine the eye roll she's giving me, but her time held a hint of humor. I switched into a sitting position, letting my legs dangle off as we took off.

" Not that I mind the break, but you know I could have flown myself right? " I asked as we flew along. In all honesty, though I kind of liked this. Flying without shifting felt different and its something I didn't ever get to experience.

"When you shift you can't talk. And while that is usually my favorite part about you shifting, I figured you would enjoy being able to speak." She replied dryly.

" Oh... Thanks, Rae..ven" I added quickly when she turned to me. We had almost reached the pizza place when I felt a knot form in my stomach. "Any way you would want to try the pizza place across town?" I cringed knowing my voice came out in almost a squeak.

She gave me a curious look but nodded as she redirected us and I started babbling to her about nothing imparticular. I was glad I was with Raven. Any of the others would have forced the issue, making me talk about what was bothering me and why we couldn't go there. Raven either knew why and wouldn't make me say it or figured I'd tell her if I wanted to. I always had felt relaxed about that particular aspect of Raven. The one person in the tower who could feel everyone's feelings and she always allowed us our space. Even Cyborg, my best friend, couldn't just back off when I was upset. Robin always wanted to butt in to help 'fix' his team and Starfire has an undying restlessness to make others happy. All of those things are fine and make them who they are. But with Raven, I had to put up less of a show. Sure, I still tried to mask my own sadness but that was more or less for me at this point. If I can just smile through the day, maybe I'll forget how bad it hurts that she's gone.

We arrived at the new pizza place, quickly placing our order and finding a seat outside. Raven lowered her hood, the breeze following gently through her short hair violet hair. She tucked a strand behind her ear before turning her large purple eyes to meet mine.

"How do you feel about Cyborgs mission?" She asked. I noticed her small cringe and smiled to myself. Small talk wasn't one of her strong suits. Raven spoke when something needed to be said, not just to fill the silence. She was doing this for my benefit.

" He'll be fine. I mean, I worry about him of course but he can contact us if he needs us and he's strong. I do have to say I like that ring he made, I wonder where he got the idea from...? " I missed mostly to myself as I picked at the imaginary speck on the table.

"Oh. That may have been my fault." She said, looking down as a small blush crept onto her face. I stated at her, not used to seeing her blush. It made me curious...

"Really? Cool! How do Rae? Does that mean you have one as well?" I reached out, grabbing her small hand in my gloves one, startling the empath enough that my drink went flying with a burst of dark energy. I didn't bat an eye though. With our line of work, you get used to little accidental bursts of powers.

"Um..." Her eyes met mine again, nervously, before using her magic to summon a small black velvet bag. She reached inside and pulled out a dainty looking ring. It was a simple band, designed to almost look like leaves going up the band, and in the center sat a small amethyst stone. "Cyborg made it for me so I could get some time out of the tower. There is a cafe nearby, near the used book store I like, that I enjoy going to. But if I go out as me... I never get left alone. People love hero's and I can't bring myself to shoo them away but I also can't deal with swarms of people. I want to get better with handling my emotions, especially in groups of strangers but I can't do that as Raven. So he made me this."

"Have you tried it out yet?" I asked, unsure of how else to continue our conversation.

"Not yet. He made mine and his at the same time, so I got it last night." She twirled the small band in her fingers.

"Why don't we go? I'll shift into something small and hide in your purse or something and you can go and try it out. If something goes wrong I'll be there to help you." I bounced in my seat, excited now at the idea. She opened her mouth to respond as a waitress comes over, dropping off our pizza at the table. She goes to get me a new drink and we began to dig in.

_Raven_

lunch with Beastboy wasn't the worst thing in the world. We actually had a good time and seemed to be getting along fairly well which as anyone on the team will agree to, is rare. We both agreed that hanging out together was enjoyable and that we could continue to be friends, we also agreed to tell the team. It's something I had considered but BeastBoy was the one to voice it, surprisingly enough. It stung for a moment but I tried to shrug it off. I wanted the same thing, so it shouldn't matter that he didn't want the team knowing we were becoming friends.

Things continued on pretty much like normal. Maybe he overdid it sometimes with the being overly annoying but it was bothering me less, not that I would let that show to the team. He continued to play with the giant Cyborg double. He played it off like it was just for fun but I got the feeling that it was partly because he missed his best friend.

When Cyborg checked in a few days later, we got updates of his mission. Including learning that they were working on some 'class project'. The transmission cut out as Jinx, Gizmo, and Mammoth approached him, and while it put all of us a little on edge, we knew we had to trust Cyborg to handle this on his own.

I sit quietly on the edge of my bed, reading over one of my favorite books. I had read it so many times that the book was well worn, the cover breaking away from the spine of the book in some places. It made me sad, but I knew I could pick up a new copy at some point. Right now I was just getting to the point where the main character left for France along with best friend and lover when I heard a loud knock on the door. I sighed to myself, not bothering to mark my place in the book as I closed it. I had read it so many times that I could start anywhere and still enjoy the story.

The assault on my door continued as I levitate across my room. I let myself reach out trying to figure out who was on the other side. The erratic, bubbly emotions could belong to one of two people but it felt more like...

"What do you want BeastBoy?" I called out, before opening the door. He let out a small yelp before scratching the back of his neck nervously.

" How'd you know it was me? " he half-whined at me, pushing past me and flipping down on my bed.

I raised an eyebrow but didn't reply to his question as I drifted after him. "What are you doing in here BeastBoy?"

"Star and Robin went out to the 'mall of shopping'. Cy is still undercover so I just thought maybe we could hang out? We don't have to go anywhere, we could just talk or whatever. Unless you want to go out, cause we could totally go try out that fancy ring of yours! We could hit up that cafe and we could go to a movie, OH! Or we could-"

"BeastBoy," I said raising a hand to motion for silence. If I didn't silence him I feel like he could babble forever. It was something I was mildly envious of. I could never seem to find the right words to start up a casual conversation. BeastBoy, on the other hand, could talk about anything with anyone, including me. "I don't really feel like going out. If you want to hang out we can, but let's just stay in and watch a movie or something. Though, I wouldn't mind seeing how this ring worked. I haven't been able to give it a try yet."

I walked over to the edge of my night side table, pulling open the drawer that held my little black bag. Pulling out the small dainty ring in my hand once more I met BeastBoys emerald eyes.

"Is it weird that I'm a little nervous?" My eyes turned away from him as I caught a glimpse of myself in my mirror. I didn't know why I was saying this, I tended not to voice my feelings as much, but with BeastBoy I was finding it was getting a little easier to find my voice. "This is how I have always looked. With you and Cyborg… you know what you looked like before you were what you are today. But this has always been me. Nothing happened to me, nothing changed me and honestly, I don't like the way I look all the time but it's me. I don't know how I feel about trying to cover it up."

I felt silly for the admission, and I wondered if he would understand. When Cyborg and I had spoken of it, I knew that Cyborg would almost give anything to be who he was, to regain what he had lost. I wasn't sure if BeastBoy felt the same but I could imagine so.

"You shouldn't need to cover up who you are. All of us… We all have suffered in different ways. Cyborg and I, we may have physically changed the most but we have all seen the worst part of this world and still try to fight for the change we wish to see. The way we look… It used to bug me when it first happened, but now I can't imagine my life any different. Don't get me wrong if Cy made me one of those rings I would totally enjoy it but I don't wish I was any different. I think it's okay that you feel nervous. I think it's okay that you don't want to be anyone other than who you are. Honestly, I feel like if Terra hadn't felt like there was something wrong with her, we wouldn't have lost her to Slade in the first place and she would still be here with us." He looked sad and I reached out to touch his shoulder, nervously patting him in what I hoped was a comforting fashion.

"We may not have seen eye to eye on some things, but I am sad she's gone as well. I wish things had turned out differently for her. If you ever want to talk I hope you know I will listen. I'm not always the best person when it comes to feelings and I don't always know what to say but I will listen and try to help as best as I am able." I removed my hand from his shoulder and he turned his eyes up to meet mine.

"Thanks, Rae. Now how about we try this thing out?" He forced a smile on his face and I pretended I didn't notice as I slid the small ring on my finger, squeezing my eyes shut as I waited. I didn't feel anything happen, nothing big or flashy and I cracked one eye open as I stared at Beastboy whos eyes were wide and his mouth hung open slightly.

"Do I look that different? Does it look bad?" I turned to the mirror and I fought and mostly lost to maintain a neutral expression as I looked at myself in the mirror. Black hair hung around my face in place of what once was purple. The cut was still the same, but it now fell against pale skin instead of my normal greyish skin. The biggest difference was found when I got to my eyes. What was once my amethyst eyes were now replaced by hazy blueish grey eyes. I was in shock and I couldn't honestly tell if it was because I loved or hated it. It was just so different.

"It doesn't look bad. I mean honestly, you look good but you just don't look… like you?" He laughed nervously. "I guess that's the whole point though, right? So you can blend in? I mean if I were to see you on the street I wouldn't recognize you, so you would be able to have some level of freedom with this then dude." He said, both of our eyes looking at the effect in the mirror. His words were comforting but his face… I could still see a small level of shock and almost disappointment on his face. I couldn't blame him though. It matched my feelings. Something about looking at the stranger in the mirror made me feel uncomfortable.

I took off the ring and watched as the illusion faded and my purple eyes blinked back at me. I turned to BeasyBoy, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Now that we have gotten that out of the way, how about that movie?" I said brushing past him as I walked purposefully out my door.

**Thank you to everyone who is reading this story, I am gonna end the chapter here for now and pick up the next chapter from the next episode. I am going to be trying to do long updates, each one being one 'episode'. Some 'episodes' maybe 2 parts depending on the content of the episode and how it plays out, but I will try to post them close together. I will be dealing more closely with the story plot but with this episode, there really was not a whole lot of BB or Raven in it. Which I like because I get to put what I want but it's also a pain because I don't feel like I'm following the story that well. Please let me know what you think, and how I can improve the reading experience for you and what you would like to see. If you have any ideas for the story feel free to review or PM me. **

**Have a wonderful day!**


	3. X

Hello all! I do not own Teen Titans! Just in case you all thought I did, I really don't. But I do own a bag of gummy worms so really I really am moving on up in the world. Please let me know what you think! Thank you for all those reading!

Please Review!

X

_Beastboy_

It had been a few weeks since Raven and I had spent much time together. After our movie day, things had kinda gotten back to normal. A part of me was sad but mostly I was happy she spent any time at all with me. I didn't have the heart to push too hard for more right now when she had already stepped so far out of her comfort zone for me already.

But now we were on another mission, chasing behind some unknown villain. I shifted into a bat and flew up an elevator shaft, as my friends and teammates rode up with ease. I didn't really care for getting left behind but I also knew that it was much easier for someone like me to follow after that if we had left say, Cyborg behind.

Speaking of, as he ducked through a security laser his shoulder brushed into it causing it to go off and the hole to get through to shrink. I shifted quickly into a mouse and ducked through, my irritation growing slightly. I didn't have much time to sulk about it though as we finally got a good look at our villain.

Red X. My gaze shifted to Robin and the confusion in me and my whole team seemed to grow.

"Red X?" I exclaimed, "I thought Robin was Red X?"

"Think again." The reply came from a taunting voice as he launched an attack, X's spiraling towards us.

"Titans go!" Robin (Or maybe his hologram) called out as we braced for battle.

All of us moved fairly quickly out of the way but Raven didn't have time, throwing up her shield to protect herself. As the X's exploded she kept herself safe, but when she lowered it, Red X moved in for an attack jumping behind her even as she reraised her shield. I knew how much power it took from her and she didn't have time to get it upright before he had her knocked down and defenseless. I intended to save her, but Star beat me to it, launching a series of star-bolts at him, effectively getting him away from Raven. I quickly went to her side, shifting back into myself to help her up.

"You okay, Rae?' I asked, she rose to her feet but seemed a little off balance. I placed my hands on her shoulders to try and steady her.

"I'm fine Beastboy. Thanks" I could swear a small blush tinted her cheeks before she pulled her hood up and disappeared, already preparing to attack our villain yet again.

Following her example I knew there wasn't time to waste as I shifted into a pterodactyl, flying up just in time to see him zap Starfire in a blast. I quickly shifted into a gorilla to try and grab him but he stuck one of his X's in my mouth. I tried to pull it out with no luck before I shifted into a hippo hoping a larger mouth would help it fall out. It worked, but it also caused me to slip off the beam I was balancing on and fall on to a bunch of crates.

Robin had some serious explaining to do about this one. I shifted back, taking a moment to look around and get my bearings, I met two worried purple eyes. I flashed her a goofy grin and a thumbs up, despite the throbbing in my head and stood up, trying to plan my next attack against our annoying villain. I shifted back into a gorilla as Raven and Star moved into the battle that Red X was now having with Cyborg. We all knew we worked stronger as one. Hopefully, that would hold true still, against the maybe Robin we were fighting.

I tried to smash him but he phased away from us as I shared a puzzled look with the rest of my teammates. Now we could hear the sounds of battle between 'Robin' and Red X. He threw 'Robin' at our feet, smashing the boxes around us as we moved in for attack now. Raven began to chant her mantra as Cyborg powered up his cannon. Which would have probably done us a lot of good if he hadn't countered it, effectively zapping both of them.

Now Star moved back in for the attack, actually landing one on him when he tried to pin her down. I tried to take advantage of his moment of weakness but he managed to create an X shaped hole in the ground causing me to fall. I shifted into a bird and flew back up in time to see 'Robin' chasing him out on the roof. I followed with the others quickly. As Red X phased away, Starfire caught up to Robin and began poking him aggressively.

"Oww Star! That hurts!" He cried out in a mix of pain and annoyance.

"So then you are not a hologram?" Her eyes were wide and innocent, I felt bad for Starfire. I remember what it was like being the one who wronged her and the hurt that had filled her eyes then. What I had done was stupid but it was just a prank. Robin becoming Red X must have hurt her deeply, more so because it was a choice he made to deceive us. To deceive her, the one who probably trusted him the most.

"No." He said, lightly pushing her hand away, to save himself from the bruises her otherworldly strength would no doubt leave.

"The last time we faced the Red X he was you in disguise and you were not really there." she began poking him all over.

"Starfire! Cut it out!" he screamed out, now pushing her away.

"He is not a hologram!" She stated happily.

"He could still be a robot," I suggested. Robin was smart enough to know the same trick wouldn't work on us twice. "Check him for batteries"

Cyborg put on a glove, no doubt preparing for his search as Robins' eyes grew triple in size.

"Wait! Please! It wasn't me! I Promise! It wasn't me." there was a certain sincerity in his voice. "Red X was a mistake, a mistake I won't ever make again."

My eyes found Ravens and she gave a small nod. If anyone would know it would be the empath. And to be fair, she would probably be able to tell if he wasn't real if she was looking for it. I felt myself relax.

We returned to the tower and Robin went straight to the evidence room, now fully launched in his obsessive mode. I headed into the kitchen to grab a bite to eat and maybe play a few rounds of Mega Monkeys if Cyborg was feeling up to it. But as I walked into the kitchen I wasn't met with my robotic friend or even the bubbly alien. I saw the quiet empath sitting alone in the room nursing a hot tea. I would have left her alone, I swear, but something about her just looked sad.

She seemed so lost in thought that she didn't even seem to notice I had walked in. I thought about trying to strike up a conversation with her but I knew that wasn't something she tended to enjoy. I debated my options for a moment before shifting into a small housecat. Starfire loved it when I did this because of my 'most adorable of faces!' but I never really shifted into anything for Raven because she didn't ever seem to care for it.

I knew she wouldn't ooh and ahh over my cute little face but I did know that people can find a lot of comfort in animals and she liked it when I would shut up. I padded slowly across the room before got to her feet, letting out a soft meow, giving her an innocent face.

"Beastboy what on earth are you doing?" She sat the cup on the coffee table before crossing her arms over her chest glaring down at me.

I just let out another meow, rubbing up against her legs before hopping up onto her lap and purring loudly. She tensed up, almost seeming ready to push me off before letting out a soft sigh.

"Oh, whatever." she softly scratched behind my ears, seeming uncomfortable still but adjusting still. I rubbed my face against her hands and let out a happy meow as she pets me.

If I was honest I wasn't a huge fan of being treated like an animal or a house pet. That's why I rarely did it for anyone in the tower. I wasn't keen on the idea of being petted but I didn't really mind the idea of Raven petting me. Maybe because I didn't think that she would change her view of me. Maybe because I doubted she would ever ask this of me.

But the real reason I think I found myself wanting to do this for her is that I was the only one who could. She had such a hard time bonding with people and honestly, most normal animals didn't seem to like her very much. No other person or animal could really comfort her the way I was and its own weird way I liked knowing that the little half smile on her face was one that I put there. A smile just for me.

Our moment was short-lived as Starfire and Cyborg burst into the living room. I shifted into a fly and flew away, not wanting to embarrass her by our teammates seeing her softer side. I shifted back into myself into the kitchen, coming around to meet our friends as we began making speculations on who Red X could really be.

_Raven_

After Robin stormed away we were left, just the four of us again.

"Why does boy wonder always have to be so dramatic? You would think he would have learned after last time to just lean on us but noooooo." Cyborg huffed. "Now he has to be all 'This is my problem, screw all my friends trying to help I must do this alone'."

"Dude I know! Just once I wish he'd rely on the rest of us." Beastboy chimed in.

"Together there is nothing we cannot overcome!" Starfire nodded along. "If Robin would just see that we don't keep things from each other like this... That we help each other, no matter who the blame of the problem may be placed on, then maybe it would make him happier. Maybe then we would solve this much more quickly.

I shifted uneasily, knowing my own secrets hidden from my team. Different secrets of course but still they make me wonder if maybe I should be honest. Maybe they would help me find a way out of my twisted destiny, maybe stop what I didn't want to believe was my fate. Large green eyes and a goofy smile aimed my way made me feel close to saying what I know I shouldn't say, to reveal the truth. I opened my mouth but before the words could come out a loud ding chimed from the computer.

"There, now your computer has a tracker to help you find the Xenothium. We should split up, Star and Rae will search the sky for any trace of Robin or Red X, and keep up with your scanners if they start showing any traces of xenothium. BB and I will split up to search the ground. If you find anything at all let us know, especially if you find any trace of Robin. Sound good?" He glanced around as we all nodded in agreement. "Only one thing left to do then... Titans go!"

I flew in silence, not picking up much. After about two hours of searching nothing had seemed to jump out at me and there seemed to be no trace of anyone suspicious. I landed softly on the ground, knowing it was almost time for a check in from Cyborg. I looked around at the graveyard I happened to land in, shaking my head silently.

Graveyards didn't really 'bother' me but I did find it disrespectful to just hang out amongst someone else's passed loved ones. The wind kicked up around me, making my cloak swirl lightly at my feet.

All of a sudden my communicator lit up, and the familiar voice of Cyborg rang out in the silence.

"West sides clean. You guys finding anything yet?"

We all gave him our not so successful reports, and probably about to come up with another plan of action before Robins face filled the screen.

"Titans! I know where Red X is going to strike. Sending coordinates." The screen went black and our leader disappeared once more. I sighed to myself but I knew I should be pleased he called on us at all. Maybe he would rely on us a little bit more this time, and maybe we would make it through this okay.

I teleported to the spot Robin had sent to us, to find only most of my team.

"No sign of Red X," I stated, pulling the hood of my cloak down.

"Nor of Cyborg." Starfire chimed in what we were all thinking.

Robin pulled out his communicator and tried to page him with no response.

"X must have attacked him. If Cyborg is hurt... It's my fault." He said angrily, brushing past us.

"Robin..." Starfire started. I knew it killed her to see him like this. Even though they weren't ready to face their feelings quite yet, you didn't have to be an empath to tell how much love she had for Robin. How much it killed her to see him hurting.

"I'm responsible Starfire. For everything that's happened."

"No Robin." Her big green eyes filled with emotion. "The error you made, it is in the past. You are no longer the one inside that suit."

"And personally, I think it looks much cooler on me." Our heads turned upward to find Red X standing on the roof above us.

He threw down some X's at Robin and Starfire as they darted out of the way. Beastboy and I went in for an attack, him charging at him as a rhino next to me. He threw one of his stupid sticky X's managing to trap me to a now over 1000 pound Beastboy. We flew back and honestly, would have gone off over the edge of Starfire hadn't caught us and sat us back down on the roof.

I struggled against the binds. Beastboy stuck upsidedown against me. As Red X escaped and Robin ran back to us I tried to get Beastboys stinky rhino tale off my face.

"Annnd now I smell like rhino butt," I complained as Starfire tried to free us.

Beastboy shifted back to himself, which definitely brought the stink down, and shot Robin a glare.

"Dude do you think you gave this guy enough gadgets?" he said angrily. His emotions bordered on annoyance and almost a touch of embarrassment. Must be because we were bested by Red X again. Robin ignored him, I'm sure already angry enough at himself. They set forward to free us as we tried to come us with a new plan.

_Beastboy_

We broke into the building easily enough and I couldn't help but spare a glance at Raven. I felt bad for earlier, getting stuck to her as a rhino sucked and I know she was probably irritated about it.

She didn't seem to notice me looking at her, so my quick glance turned a little longer than I meant it to. She seemed irritated for sure but somehow happier than she was earlier. I made a mental note to try and spend some more time with her when we got back to the tower, at some point I wanted to know what was bringing her so down.

I turned my focus back to the task at hand just as Robin was telling us to split up to search for Red X.

I didn't get far. I shifted into a bloodhound, trying to sniff out anything that might help us. Before I had time to react a man stood behind me, attaching a catch pole around my neck. I wanted to shift but before I could I felt the shock travel through me.

And everything went black.

It felt like a dream. I could hear voices making promises of death and destruction. I could swear I could hear Robin voice, arguing against the threats. Then I heard sweet Starfire's voice, angry now, as it taunted her. But honestly, everything felt so far away. All I really knew is that I was cold and alone. I knew I didn't want to be alone. I wanted to scream or cry out but I couldn't seem to make myself. Fear paralyzed me, even in my dreamy state. there was nothing I could do.

"Beastboy." A voice sounded out. A voice that usually held so little emotion now sounded as scared as I felt. Knowing I wasn't alone, or that at least I may not me seemed to send me into motion as I looked around desperate to find the source of it.

"Raven?" I cried out, I couldn't see her but I could almost sense her.

All of a sudden she came into focus. She was standing, drifting in and out of my vision. I ran to her, throwing my arms out, ready to hug her as my hands slipped through her form.

"What... What the hell Raven?" I tried to breathe but I could feel the panic setting in as I began to hyperventilate, "Why can't I touch you? You aren't like dead right? You aren't a ghost? Wait am I a ghost?"

She let out a sigh, which somehow felt comforting to have some normality in everything that seemed to be happening around me.

"Relax Beastboy. We aren't dead. Just unconscious I think. Or frozen or something. I really can't tell for sure. But the reason you can't touch me is that I'm in your mind."

"Wait you can do that? Like, enter peoples dreams and stuff?" She had never made any mention of being able to do that. Honestly, I couldn't decide if it was scary or cool.

"I don't really know how I did this if I am honest with you. I could feel your fear. I can't feel Cyborgs but I think that's because he is part robot and Starfire I could but it seems different now, maybe shes awake? Her feelings feel more conscious. You were the only one and somehow I latched on to it. Before I realized I had kinda formed a connection. I think I was trying to comfort you and I think I may have just made things worse."

"Well for what it's worth, I'm glad you're here. I'm really glad to know I'm not alone here anymore."

Her soft smile was better than any words she could have said. She sat in silence and let me babble on about everything, not really saying anything back but if I didn't know any better I would almost say she was enjoying my company. It was weird to think that when we had first joined the Titans, she wasn't someone I would consider a friend. We had a lot of work to do in the friend department, there was still a lot I didn't know about her and we still were at each other's throats a lot but, she was really turning into a friend I knew I could rely on. Honestly, besides Cyborg I didn't really consider myself to be 'good friends' with any of the other Titans. I found myself really clinging to the idea of this friendship that I could have with her.

Before I knew it the world of just Raven and I shattered around me and I found myself standing with the team. I shook myself off before I jumped behind Robin who was now facing Red X, though he didn't seem as hostile towards him.

Red X jumped away and faded into the darkness. I knew I would need to be filled in on what exactly went down while I was frozen but for now, we stood together in silence, together. United as a team once more.


End file.
